Barnsley

Barnsley's population grew in the 10 years leading up to 2011. Data from the census also show there were changes in health, relationships and housing tenure.

The population passed 230,000

In the 10 years leading up to the latest census, the population of Barnsley increased by 6.0%, from about 218,000 to 231,000.

The addition of just over 13,000 people means this area's population increased at a slower rate than the total population of England (up 7.9% since the 2001 census).

In 2011, Barnsley was home to, on average, 5 people per football pitch-sized piece of land.

Population density was higher than the average across Yorkshire and The Humber

Population density (usual residents per football pitch-sized piece of land) across Yorkshire and The Humber, March 2011 (larger dots represent greater increase since 2001)

An older Barnsley

Census 2011 data also show a change in the local population's average age.

Between the last two censuses, the median age of Barnsley increased by three years, from 38 to 41 years.

This industrial area had a higher average age than Yorkshire and The Humber and remained slightly older than the average local authority area across England (39 years of age).

The rise in age was because of an increase of just over 6,300 people between the ages of 40 and 49 years, while the population between 30 and 39 years decreased by about 7,000.

About 16% of people in Barnsley are aged between 40 and 49 years

Percentage of usual residents in England, Yorkshire and The Humber and Barnsley by 10 year age band, March 2001 and March 2011

Health improved

Barnsley saw England's largest fall in the proportion of residents that perceived their health as bad or very bad.

Rates are standardised to account for variation in age, which can impact the local population's health.

Every local authority area across Yorkshire and The Humber saw a fall in the proportion of residents that perceived their health as bad or very bad, as the regional average fell from 10% to 6.0%.

In 2011, just over 1 in 12 (8.4%) in Barnsley said their health was bad or very bad, compared with 14% in 2001. The percentage that perceived their health as good or very good increased from 61% to 75%.

Surrey Heath saw England's next largest rise in the proportion of residents that perceived their health as bad or very bad (from 5.3% to 3.2%).

These data are people’s own opinions in describing their overall health. They may be inconsistent with other measures of health, such as NHS records.

The percentage of people in ’bad’ or ’very bad’ health in Barnsley decreased by 5.7 percentage points

Percentage of usual residents in Barnsley, Yorkshire and The Humber and England said their health was bad or very bad, March 2001 and March 2011

More people cohabiting

Barnsley saw England's second-largest rise in the proportion of households with an unmarried couple.

During this period, Barnsley overtook 77 local authority areas, including Great Yarmouth and Colchester, to become the English local authority area with the seventh-highest percentage of cohabiting households.

In 2011, just under one in eight (12%) households in Barnsley had an unmarried couple, compared with 9.0% in 2001. The percentage of households comprising just one person increased from 28% to 30%.

England's largest increase in the proportion of households with an unmarried couple occurred in Gateshead (from 7.6% to 11%).

The percentage of households with a cohabiting couple in Barnsley increased by 3.3 percentage points

Percentage of households in Barnsley, Yorkshire and The Humber and England that had an unmarried couple, March 2001 and March 2011

More adults are separated from partners

Barnsley saw Yorkshire and The Humber's third-largest rise in the proportion of people who had divorced or separated from a married or civil partner.

In 2011, just over one in eight (13%) people aged 16 and over in Barnsley said they had divorced or broken up with a married or civil partner, compared with 11% in 2001. The percentage that said they were married decreased from 53% to 48%.

Across the region, only North Lincolnshire (from 11% to 13%) and Hambleton (from 8.9% to 11%) saw a greater increase in the proportion of people who had divorced or separated from a married or civil partner.

Every local authority area across Yorkshire and The Humber saw a rise in the proportion of people who had divorced or separated from a married or civil partner, as the regional average grew from 11% to 12%.

The proportion of people who had divorced or separated from a marriage or civil partner was higher than across Yorkshire and The Humber

Percentage of usual residents aged 16 and over that said they had divorced or broken up with a married or civil partner across local authority areas in Yorkshire and The Humber and the average across England, March 2011

Disability in Barnsley

The percentage of Barnsley residents whose day-to-day activities are limited a lot by a long-term health problem or disability increased from 4.7% to 5.1% in the decade to 2011.

The percentage who reported being limited a little in their day-to-day activities remained close to 7.3%, while the percentage of Barnsley residents whose day-to-day activities are not limited by a long-term health problem or disability remained close to 88%.

The proportion of people who are considerably limited by a long-term health problem or disability increased at a similar rate to the figure for the whole of Yorkshire and The Humber (from 3.5% in 2001 to 4.0% in 2011). Across England, the percentage increased from 3.1% to 3.8%.

The proportion of people who are limited a lot by a long-term health problem or disability was higher than across Yorkshire and The Humber

Percentage of usual residents that reported being considerably limited in their day-to-day activities across local authority areas in Yorkshire and The Humber and the average across England, March 2011

Fall in social renting

The percentage of socially rented homes fell in Barnsley at a faster rate than in Wigan (one of the most statistically similar areas to Barnsley based on ONS area classifications).

In Barnsley, the proportion of social housing decreased from 26% in 2001 to 21% in 2011. During the same period, the proportion in statistically similar Wigan decreased from 20% to 19%.

Across Yorkshire and The Humber, the share of socially rented homes decreased from 21% to 18%.

Private renting in Barnsley increased from 7.2% to 13%, while the rate of home ownership remained close to 64%.

The rate of social housing in Barnsley decreased by 4.7 percentage points

Percentage of households in Barnsley, Yorkshire and The Humber and England that rented socially, March 2001 and March 2011

Fewer people worked long hours

The percentage of employed people in Barnsley working more than 49 hours in the week before the census decreased from 12% to 9.4% in the 10 years leading up to 2011.

In 2011, just over 1 in 50 (2.2%) people aged 16 to 74 (in employment the week before the Census 2011) said they had worked less than 16 hours the previous week, compared with 1.3% in 2001.

The proportion of people working long hours fell at a similar rate to the figure for the whole of Yorkshire and The Humber (from 13% in 2001 to 9.4% in 2011). Across England, the percentage fell from 13% to 10%.

Long hour working in Barnsley decreased by 2.8 percentage points

Percentage of usual residents aged 16 to 74 (in employment the week before the Census 2011) in Barnsley, Yorkshire and The Humber and England that said they had worked over 49 hours the week before completing the census, March 2001 and March 2011

Rise in rate of unemployment

The percentage of Barnsley residents that were unemployed increased from 3.9% to 5.1% in the decade leading up to the most recent census.

In 2011, just over one in two (51%) people aged 16 to 74 said they were employed, compared with 49% in 2001. The percentage of Barnsley residents that were self-employed increased from 6.3% to 7.7%.

The proportion of unemployed people increased at a similar rate to the figure for the whole of Yorkshire and The Humber (from 3.7% in 2001 to 4.9% in 2011). Across England, the percentage increased from 3.4% to 4.4%.

The rate of unemployment in Barnsley increased by 1.2 percentage points

Percentage of usual residents aged 16 to 74 in Barnsley, Yorkshire and The Humber and England that said they were unemployed, March 2001 and March 2011

Ethnicity in Barnsley

The number of people in Barnsley from the White ethnic groups increased from about 220,000 in 2001 to about 230,000 in 2011. However, as a percentage of the total population, this represented a decrease from 99% to 98%.

The percentage decreased by less than the average across Yorkshire and The Humber (from 93% to 89%) and the average across England (from 91% to 85%).

The number of people in Barnsley from the Asian or Asian British ethnic groups increased from just over 920 in 2001 to just under 1,700 in 2011 (from 0.4% to 0.7%). The number of residents from Mixed/multiple ethnic groups (White and Asian, White and Black African, White and Black Caribbean or Other Mixed) increased from just under 760 to just over 1,600 (from 0.4% to 0.7%).

Just over 1,200 people (0.1%) said they were from the Black, Black British, Caribbean or African ethnic groups, up from just over 160 in 2001 (0.5%).

The population from the White ethnic groups in Barnsley decreased by 1.2 percentage points

Percentage of usual residents in England, Yorkshire and The Humber and Barnsley by ethnicity, March 2001 and March 2011

Changes in family structure

The percentage of households in Barnsley with only adult children living with their parents decreased from 11% to 10% in the decade to 2011.

In 2011, just under 3 in 10 (29%) households had at least one dependent child, compared with 31% in 2001. The percentage of households in Barnsley without children increased from 59% to 60%.

The proportion of households with adult children living with their parents fell at a similar rate to the figure for the whole of Yorkshire and The Humber (which remained close to 9.3%). Across England, the percentage increased from 9.4% to 9.6%.

The proportion of households with only adult children living with their parents was higher than across Yorkshire and The Humber

Percentage of households where a parent lived with their adult children across local authority areas in Yorkshire and The Humber and the average across England, March 2011

Religion in Barnsley

The number of people in Barnsley that described themselves as Muslim increased from just under 510 in 2001 to about 950 in 2011. This represents a change from 0.2% to 0.4% of the local population.

Across Yorkshire and The Humber, the percentage of people from this religious group increased from 3.8% to 6.2%, while across England the percentage went from 3.2% to 5.2%.

The number of people in Barnsley that described themselves as Christian decreased from just under 180,000 in 2001 to about 160,000 in 2011 (from 81% to 68%). The number of people who described themselves as having no religion increased from about 23,000 to just under 56,000 (from 11% to 24%).

About 15,000 people (7.5%) did not state their religion, down from about 16,000 in 2001 (6.5%).

The population who identified as Muslim in Barnsley remained close to 0.4%

Percentage of usual residents in England, Yorkshire and The Humber and Barnsley by religion, March 2001 and March 2011

Change in unpaid care

The percentage of Barnsley residents that provided between 20 and 49 hours of weekly unpaid care increased from 1.6% to 1.8% between the last two censuses.

The percentage who reported providing at least 50 hours of unpaid care each week remained close to 3.1%.

The proportion of people providing between 20 and 49 hours of weekly unpaid care increased at a similar rate to the figure for the whole of Yorkshire and The Humber (from 1.2% in 2001 to 1.4% in 2011). Across England, the percentage increased from 1.1% to 1.4%.

The proportion of people providing between 20 and 49 hours of weekly unpaid care in Barnsley remained close to 1.8%

Percentage of usual residents in England, Yorkshire and The Humber and Barnsley by care, March 2001 and March 2011

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